CAS Activities for Grade 9 and 10

Dwight Stead

Dufferin-Peel CDSB

OAME Conference

Friday, May 15, 2009

Agenda

Minds On: Introduction & Anticipation Guide CAS in the Curriculum “White Box” vs “Black Box”

Action: Hands-on CAS Activities

Consolidation: CAS Implementation Strategy for Dufferin-Peel

CDSB

Minds On…

What is CAS?

According to wikipedia.com:

• A computer algebra system (CAS) is a software program that facilitates symbolic mathematics. The core functionality of a CAS is manipulation of mathematical expressions in symbolic form.

CAS Overview

Computer Algebra Systems (CAS) have been used in Mathematics since the 1970s

Originally used in post secondary to ease the tedium of complex algebra

The revised Grades 9 and 10 Mathematics curriculum in 2005 featured CAS as a tool to help students develop algebraic reasoning

Think/Pair/Share

What concepts in the grade 9 & 10 curriculum mention the use of CAS?

Think Turn to the person

next to you and share

Share with the whole group

Where’s CAS in Grades 9 & 10

Grade 9 Applied (MFM1P)

NA: 3 expectations

Grade 9 Academic (MPM1D)

NA: 3 expectations

Grade 10 Applied (MFM2P)

QR: 3 expectations

MLR: 1 expectation

Grade 10 Academic (MPM2D)

QR: 2 expectations

Nspire CAS and TIPS4RM In the summer of 2008

the TIPS4RM resources for MFM2P were completed

Nspire CAS is used extensively in units • 3 Equations of Lines• 4 Systems of Equations

These resources can be downloaded from the OAME web site:

www.oame.on.ca

Black Box vs White Box

CAS was originally used a tool to perform algebra (Black Box)

CAS can also be used as a pedagogical tool to examine patterns, form and confirm conjectures and discuss findings (White Box)

If students only use CAS as a black box, they never develop functional or conceptual skills in algebra

See March 2007 OAME Gazette for more information

Action …

It’s Your Turn…

Turn on the Handheld and press c Choose 7. My Documents Scroll down to the folder called Transfers-7-

1x-09 and press · Scroll to the file CAS in 9&10 and press · If you are asked to Save the Current File

choose No and press · The title screen should appear

Nspire CAS Handheld Keys

The blue Ctrl button is used to control features

The NavButton is used to grasp objects

Shortcuts: Ctrl » advance a page Ctrl « returns to

previous page

The NavPad is used to move the cursor

Consolidation/ Debrief …

Implementation of Nspire CAS in Dufferin-Peel CDSB The initiative took two years to implement

• 2007-8: 11 of 23 secondary schools were selected

• 2008-9: the remaining 12 secondary schools were selected

Each school received

• 30 Nspire CAS handhelds,

• 1 Viewscreen

• 1 licence of Nspire CAS Teacher Edition software

• 1 Connect to Class kit

• 1 CBR 2

Implementation of Nspire CAS in Dufferin-Peel CDSB (Continued) Two teachers per school were selected and each teacher

received a personal handheld Each pair of teachers were to create a CAS activity for grade 9

or 10 Teachers received three days of training:

• One session to introduce the device and CAS

• One session on the Nspire software and Computer Link software

• One session to share the activities created Completed activities shared with system on a wiki http://DPCDSB-Math-Stuff.wikispaces.com Click on the Nspire CAS Rollout link on the left

For more information, please contact me:

Dwight Stead – Mathematical Literacy Consultant (7-12)

• Phone: 905-890-0708 x24533

• E-Mail: dwight.stead@dpcdsb.org